Vodka Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Amazingly creamy, so bright, and super quick + easy. Comes together in 30 min! Serve with additional fresh Parmesan. SO SO GOOD.

Whoa. Just whoa.
This has been on my dinner table almost every day this week.
It’s creamy. It’s bright. It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s seriously got EVERYTHING you need – pasta, vodka, butter and fresh Parm. Do we need anything else?

I think not. And if you need some protein in this, you can throw in leftover rotisserie chicken and let that saucy goodness soak right in.
I personally love the shape of the radiatore pasta because it catches so much of the sauce but you can also sub in penne, rotini, or rigatoni!

- 8 ounces radiatore pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium shallots, diced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- ¼ cup vodka
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup basil leaves, chiffonade
Get Recipe Ingredients
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1 cup water and drain well.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Working carefully, stir in vodka, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Stir in crush tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Stir in pasta, adding reserved pasta water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately, garnished with basil, if desired.